Complex

The Best PS3 Video Games of This Generation



Penning an obituary for a well-liked friend, who also happens to be attending the funeral, makes for an awkward line to the salad bar during the wake.

While the world looks forward to Sony's PlayStation 4 to replace the console shaped hole in the collective chests of gamers, now may be the time to remind the world that the PlayStation 3 isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Sony has stated on multiple occasions that they will continue to support the PS3 as long as there is support for the console. Sony supported the PlayStation 2 for nearly a decade after that console launched. Those final shipments were released in December of 2102.

With Sony's acquisition of the Gaikai cloud gaming service for a breezy $380 Million, past titles of the PS3 and PS2 libraries will (presumably) be available to play on the PS4. The cloud service will further extend the (virtual) life of some of the greatest titles ever released of the past two generations of video games. Hopefully we won't be forced to buy Shadow of the Colossus a third time.

While we may have to wade through the release title detritus of the PS4, savvy consumers know that an entire generation's worth of titles will eventually be reduced to bargain bin prices. It's been a generation filled with stunning highs and some memorable lows.

While list that contains cross-platform titles, the writers of this list experienced these games on the PS3 exclusively as opposed to PC or the Xbox 360.

Here are our picks for The Best PlayStation 3 Video Games of This Generation.

51. Everyday Shooter
50. Remember Me
49. Bionic Commando: Rearmed
48. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds/World Invitational
47. Guitar Hero: Metallica
46. MLB: The Show Series
45. Flower

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Before ThatGameCompany made Journey there was Flower, one of the earlier arguments for games delving into subject matter that dealt with actions aside from holding guns. Here you controlled the wind, gusting a series of flower petals through (mostly) tranquil natural landscapes that bloomed as you interacted with them. Still one of the most relaxing games ever – and since it's coming to the PS4 we'll soon get to enjoy it all over again, with upped performance.

44. Crysis 2
43. Fight Night Champion
42. DmC: Devil May Cry
41. Super Street Fighter IV
40. Siren: Blood Curse
39. Burnout Paradise
38. Madden NFL 10
37. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
36. Okami HD
35. Puppeteer
34. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
33. Rayman: Origins
32. Crysis 3
31. Dead Space 2
30. COD: MW
29. Resistance 3
28. Ico / Shadow of the Colossus HD

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The game that put the "Ico" in Team Ico, Fumito Ueda's directorial debut was an amazing adventure game when it originally hit the PS2 in 2001, an otherworldly wonder of spare, atmospherics that also happens to be a touching love story. It still is. And in HD, this indie-feeling classic runs smoother and looks incredible, making it one of PS3's best. Bundled with Shadow of the Colossus, the double feature disc showed off everything Team Ico had worked so hard to accomplish.

27. The Final Fantasy Gap
26. Killzone 2
25. Demon's Souls
24. Grand Theft Auto IV
23. Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection
22. Batman: Arkham City

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Rocksteady managed to accomplish a feat few thought was possible. First they made a Batman game worth playing with Arkham Asylum and then two years later, knocked down the walls and mad one of the most enjoyable sandbox titles ever. Stuffing Arkham City with more fan serice than any comic property turned video game before, Rocksteady left behind an enduring high-water mark of what could be accomplished with an officially licensed piece of property.

21. Guacamelee!
20. Little Big Planet 2

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It's an unspoken rule that once you get big enough to get a go-kart/racing game themed after you, you've sort of made it. After Media Molecule released the first Little Big Planet, there was no way to know what sort of hermetically sealed terrarium of creativity they'd created. By allowing users to create, design, and share levels, the platformer truly found its voice with the second installment in the series. The depth of user generated content available is astonishing and the series has been encouraging the dissemination of fan made levels for years now.

19. Mass Effect 2
18. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

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Anyone who was on the fence about the PS3 was easily swayed at the first site of Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. The action-adventure game looked like Indiana Jones and Crash Bandicoot had a baby (because that's essentially what it was), and that somehow translated into an incredibly compelling and cinematic game. Now Nathan Drake is etched forever into the halls of yore as one of gaming's most popular heroes. Just don't forget: there are many Uncharted titles, but the original is still very much the best. At least to some people!

17. Assassin's Creed II
16. God of War III
15. Heavy Rain

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David Cage’s Paris-based studio, Quantic Dream, has become renowned for creating intensely personal, cinematic experiences. With this year's Beyond Two Souls, Cage continued to push how decisions have lasting and permanent consequence. Heavy Rain follows Ethan Mars after the death of his child and the emotional wreckage that follows. The game utilizes even the most mundane experiences and hangs a very real and tangible weight on those moments.

14. Far Cry 3
13. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

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Ni No Kuni was not Studio Ghibli's first foray into gaming but it certainly felt like their first official one. It delivered Ghibli's distinct art style and to experience such visuals in playable form was a rare treat. As a JRPG collaboration with Level-5, the studios could not have picked a more appropriate genre to showcase this art. It does follow the classic JRPG world map exploration of forest-desert-ice setting progressions, but Studio Ghibli's imagination adds a ton of freshness to the environments. Of course, Ni No Kuni would not be half the game it ended up being, had it not been for the engrossing battle system. The combat has a bit of a Kingdom Hearts influence, but one where you can pause the action to plan your party's next moves. Players who aren't fans of captured monsters as party members should reconsider and try out Ni No Kuni. Many of the creatures hold their own in battle and discovering their skills through evolution was part of Ni No Kuni's appeal.

12. Fallout 3
11. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
10. inFAMOUS 2

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While it didn't have the same sense of wonder and excitement as the first inFAMOUS, inFAMOUS 2 had enough going for it to make it a solid sequel to an already solid title. In fact, if Sucker Punch took any notion from superhero sequels, it was that bigger=better, as inFAMOUS 2 was a much bigger title, which worked both for and against it. What we really liked was the progression of story, as we still retained almost all of the powers from the original game and didn't have to start from scratch. That would have really sucked. We also dug the User Generated Content system, where we got to create our own missions. The "Festival of Blood" DLC was pretty dope, too. Overall, inFAMOUS 2 was a solid successor.

9. Journey
8. Portal 2
7. Grand Theft Auto V
6. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

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After the masterstroke that was Uncharted 2, even Naughty Dog was hard-pressed to meet, let alone exceed expectations for Nate Drake's last PS3 adventure. Yes, Uncharted 3's script could ran a little roughshod at times compared to the previous game, but thanks to some tweaks to the engine, the sheer technical wizardry Naughty Dog was able to pull off here more than makes up for any narrative shortcomings.No matter – Drake's Deception is one of the most rollicking, fun games of the generation, and its gargantuan set-pieces are among the most staggering interactive feats ever pressed to a disc.

5. Bioshock

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The idea that PS3 owners almost never got the chance to play Ken Levine's original BioShock is a crushing 'what if'. In an August 2007 interview, Levine said that there was "no PS3 development going on" for the then momentarily Xbox 360 exclusive. 2008 finally saw the morally complex, politically turbulent world of Rapture brought to Sony's console. The game's a masterpiece and deserves every shred of critical acclaim it has received.

4. Red Dead Redemption

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In terms of making a sequel, Rockstar Games looked at Red Dead Revolver and deduced how to create a follow up that felt cannon, but retained an identity all its own. Red Dead Redemption is to Aliens is to Revolver's Alien. The sequels share much with the original source material, but ultimately are defined by their much louder, much more explosive unique personas. Red Dead Redemption may have initially been written off as Grand Theft Auto on a horse, but the game offered something much more profound and spase than another GTA title. The Old West sandbox Rocsktar provided was one of the most gorgeously rendered environments a revenge story could have been set against. John Marston was a man that commanded loathing, compassion, and respect in equal measures and a character we hope to see return to consoles sooner than later.

3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

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Finally, we got a Metal Gear that got the camera right without a re-release. It's easy to "stealth around" when you can see more than twenty feet in front of Snake (who's aged worse than Bruce Jenner). We also finally got a Metal Gear with a vast array of physical settings. A virtual range of levels, from: South America (which felt like Snake Eater all over), to a giant battleship, to an amazingly well done return to Shadow Moses. After mulling it over for far too long, I can think of no moment in gaming that invokes a feeling of personal aging and nostalgia like approaching the heliport, hearing "The Best is Yet to Come" and realizing "Holy crap...that was ten years ago!" Just realize it's not all over when Snake knocks out Liquid--er--Revolver--er--whomever, to a MGS greatest hits soundtrack. No, that's not a reference to the hard-on inducing fifth installment. What we meant was the hour and two minute ending movie that attempts to wrap things up. Hey, it's still Hideo Kojima.

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

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Upon closer inspection, one would have to try really hard to fail at the seemingly death-defying, literal cliff hanging opening of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. That still didn't stop the game's intro from being one of the most memorable scenes this generation. The game excelled from having a ton of similarly epic scenes, from the unbelievably extended train sequence that started in a jungle and ended up near the top of the Himalayas to the Nepalese chase where series hero Nathan Drake literally rode a falling building. Sure enough, those sequences heightened gamers' pulses all the more as both sections had tenacious gunships. When planning The Last of Us, game director Bruce Straley and creative director Neil Drunkmann had an objective related to Uncharted 2, and that was to capture the rush of the Nathan Drake's tank chase through the village and emulate that feeling throughout an entire game. No, The Last of Us didn't feature a persistent tank, but it succeed in delivering a sustained rush, sort of a slow burn with an edge, much thanks to Uncharted 2.

1. The Last of Us

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Unlike some games, The Last of Us deserved every ounce of hype it received when it released earlier this year. Naughty Dog's character-driven epic will be remembered for a long time by a lot of players as one of the best games ever made. And rightfully so: the whole game has a surprisingly literary feel, despite the clichéd post-apocalypse setting. By the end, you'll care more about the characters than many people you know in real life. And that makes their failures even more difficult to accept. Oh, and you'll also get to bash a whole lot of fungus zombie heads. Yes, The Last Of Us is a true masterpiece.

Source

Not another game of the generation award.

Originally posted by TheGeoKing Complex The Best PS3 Video Games of This Generation 1. The Last of Us [/SIZE]Source Not another game of the generation award.

Originally posted by Damien M So much Uncharted i mean, i love it, but nahhhh Call Of Duty + Madden are so low Metal Gear Solid sucks, i'll never get the hype.